Sunday 26 July 2009
- Bible Book:
- John
"When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?' He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do." (v.5-6)
Background
In the first sign of today's reading, Jesus takes loaves andfishes and acts as any good Jewish host would. In the presence ofhungry people he blesses the food, breaks it, and shares it around.It may have been a miracle, but from Jesus it was a far moredown-to-earth, straightforward response to hunger than hisdisciples expected. They had worried questions about what theylacked. They were talking organisation and budgets. But Jesus wasalready getting on with what they had.
Although the text says there were 5000 fed that day (hopefullyincluding the boy who gave his lunch!) the first readers would haveunderstood that to mean a much higher number - including women andchildren.
This story appears in all four Gospels. It shows Jesus as thesource not just of spiritual truths, but also the 'daily bread' oflife. He responded to real and tangible needs in a timely andthoughtful way. But it was more than that. By the end of Johnchapter 6, Jesus would go on to teach that he was "the bread oflife" (verse 35). The feeding of the 5000 anticipated what happensat Holy Communion: Jesus, as host, gave himself to feed the realhunger of real people, then as now.
Walking over water and carrying his disciples safely to shore, thesecond miracle gave another sign of who Jesus was. This time heshows it privately, having avoided the compulsion of the crowd to"take him by force to make him king". Where Jesus says "It is I; donot be afraid," the text of the original Greek says 'Itis I am'. He reveals himself as God to hisdisciples by using the same form of words used in the Old Testamentfor the name of God (see
They were awestruck. This meant that Jesus' love for them was thesame love God showed the people in the wilderness after the flightfrom Egypt. And Jesus brought them immediately to the shore.
To Ponder
What real needs do you have or see today, thatlook impossible to meet?
The boy had five loaves and two fishes to give toJesus. What do you have?
If you regularly take bread and wine at HolyCommunion, what does it mean to you?